The Short Answer
The DWP updated its PIP assessment guide for assessors on 31 August 2026, adding pace to its test of a reasonable time and new guidance on two journey descriptors. The guide lists normal walking pace as 61 to 90 metres a minute, slow as 40 to 60, and very slow as below 40. It tells assessors to consider descriptor 1f before 1e, and that nobody can score both. The PIP descriptors, points and rates set in law are unchanged.
What this means for your payments
- Who is affected: anyone with a PIP assessment, especially for moving around, planning journeys or managing toilet needs.
- What changes to your money or your payment date: nothing directly. The points and rates are unchanged; the guide changes how assessors explain and apply them.
- From when: the DWP published the updated guide on 31 August 2026.
- What you need to do: nothing. The guide is written for assessors, and the DWP points claimants to its separate PIP guide.
What Changed
The 31 August 2026 update made more than 20 changes across the guide's 3 parts. These are the ones most likely to affect how an assessment is scored:
| Section of the guide | Change |
|---|---|
| 2.2.21 | Pace included in the guidance on a "reasonable time period" |
| Activity 5 (toilet needs) | Notes on a reasonable need to use pads as a precaution on the majority of days |
| Activity 11 (planning and following journeys) | Guidance on choosing between descriptors 11e and 11f |
| Activity 1 (preparing food) | Definition of "prepare" added to the notes |
| Activity 2 (taking nutrition) | Definition of "therapeutic source" aligned with the law |
| 1.6 | Audio recording of consultations aligned with current processes |
| 1.7.5 | Special Rules guidance updated for the phasing out of form DS1500 |
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The guide numbers the mobility activities 11 and 12. This site calls them mobility activities 1 and 2, so descriptor 11e in the guide is descriptor 1e here.
Walking Pace and a Reasonable Time Period
A reasonable time period means no more than twice as long as the maximum time a person without a disability would normally take. Paragraph 2.2.21 of the guide gives assessors average walking paces for the moving around activity:
| Pace | Metres per minute |
|---|---|
| Normal | 61 to 90 |
| Slow | 40 to 60 |
| Very slow | Below 40 |
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The guide gives examples of people who cannot complete an activity in a reasonable time. One is a person who becomes breathless and exhausted while washing and dressing and needs 2 hours to do both. How distance and pace turn into points is set out in PIP Points for Moving Around. You can also check your walking points with the calculator.
Journey Descriptors 1e and 1f
The guide tells assessors to consider descriptor 1f first, and states that nobody can satisfy both 1e and 1f. The two descriptors score differently:
| Descriptor | Wording in the law | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1e | Cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant | 10 |
| 1f | Cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, an assistance dog or an orientation aid | 12 |
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Descriptor 1f may apply where a claimant can make a familiar journey on the majority of days with support, and can do so reliably. Descriptor 1e applies where the evidence shows the claimant cannot make any journey because of overwhelming psychological distress, or cannot make a familiar journey reliably even with support on the majority of days.
The guide calls the 1e threshold "a very high one". It states that "a claimant who is anxious, worried, or emotional does not meet it." The full activity is covered in PIP Points for Planning and Following Journeys.
Toilet Needs and the Special Rules
The guide states that descriptor 5b "can be satisfied if there is a reasonable need to use pads on a precautionary basis on the majority of days". Descriptor 5b scores 2 points. The guide adds that a formal diagnosis is not required, but the evidence must show the reported needs are consistent. The activity is explained in PIP Points for Managing Toilet Needs.
For claims under the Special Rules for End of Life, the guide states that the SR1 form "has replaced the DS1500" and that the DS1500 will be phased out in time. For now, assessors consider a DS1500 in the same way as an SR1. Fast-track claims are explained in PIP Under the Special Rules (SR1).
Legal Status
The guide is DWP guidance for health professionals who carry out PIP assessments, not law. It supplements the contracts with assessment providers. The descriptors and points it explains are set in the PIP regulations, which the update does not change.
What Has Not Changed
The PIP descriptors, the points for each one and the PIP rates are unchanged. The reliability criteria still apply: an activity must be done safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and within a reasonable time period.
What Happens Next
The DWP has not announced a date for the next update of the guide. The current version is the one published on GOV.UK on 31 August 2026.